This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. How Government Works: Why do we have governments? Why do we have governments? One important reason is that governments make laws. They set the rules for a country or place. The rules let people know what is and is not allowed. Governments were started for a simple reason: They protected people. Long ago, people realized something. It could be dangerous to be on their own. Staying in a group was safer. Sometimes people in a group fought, though. They did not agree on everything. So it helped to have a leader. The leader would have more power than the others. Leaders could put an end to fights. They could also set rules. These rules might stop future fights from happening. Government grew out of this idea. Protecting People From Outsiders Governments needed to protect their people from one another. They also had to protect their people from outsiders. Some governments built big walls for this. They guarded the walls. This kept invaders out. By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.22.17 Word Count 503 Level 380L This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Most governments built armies, too. A group of people would be trained to fight. If attacked, this group could protect everyone. Sometimes, different governments worked together. They would form a partnership. They agreed not to harm each other. Today, partnerships like these are very important. They help keep order around the world. Over time, the idea of government changed. People had new ideas about government. They thought it could do even more to protect people. Some Governments Offer Social Programs Today, most governments watch over the economy. The economy is the money a country has and how it spends money. Some governments run the economy. Others do not. They only get involved in emergencies. Today some governments also offer social programs. These are programs that help people. Many countries in Europe do this. These governments pay for health care. They provide education. They offer other programs, too. Not everyone likes these programs. People who are against social programs say they are too expensive. They cost the government too much money, opponents say. Others disagree. They like government programs. These people say it is the government's job to help its people. When they do, everyone benefits, supporters say. People do not all agree on what governments should do. They have different ideas about the purpose of government. Still, most people agree about one thing: A government should set rules. It is still government's job to protect people. So government must make laws for this reason. Others think that the government should do more. It should take care of the people it protects. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz 1 Read the sentences below. They are the first part of a summary of the article. The government is in charge of setting rules. It is also there to protect its people. Some governments are in charge of money and programs that help people. Which answer BEST completes the summary? (A) Some governments build big walls to keep invaders out. (B) The economy is the way a country uses the money that it has. (C) People have different ideas about what governments should do. (D) In Europe there are social programs that help people. 2 Based on the article, what happened because of governments forming partnerships with other governments? (A) They were able to guard the walls they built. (B) They were able to offer more social programs. (C) They were able to help keep order around the world. (D) They were able to build more armies. 3 What information will the reader get from the section "Some Governments Offer Social Programs"? (A) what people think about government social programs (B) what governments in different countries agree about (C) why governments in Europe are against social programs (D) which government social programs are the most expensive 4 Which selection from the introduction [paragraphs 1-3] BEST explains HOW leaders helped people in groups? (A) It could be dangerous to be on their own. Staying in a group was safer. (B) Sometimes people in a group fought, though. They did not agree on everything. (C) So it helped to have a leader. The leader would have more power than the others. (D) They could also set rules. These rules might stop future fights from happening.